A proposed new town of 3,500 homes in the Forest of Dean has sparked deep concern among residents and experts alike, who warn it will flood the Malvern Hills with an overwhelming “dome of orange haze” from light pollution visible for miles at night.
The Forest of Dean District Council’s potential development, named Glynchbrook, is planned to lie between the M50 and A417, adjacent to the Malvern Hills and the villages of Redmarley and Lowbands. The council faces government directives to identify land for 13,200 new homes over the next two decades, with Glynchbrook among the candidate sites.
Despite the urgent housing need, the plan has provoked a strong public backlash. The council’s own assessments highlight risks of regular flooding at the site and note the potential for “landscape harm.” The 113.8-hectare area is also considered poorly connected for low-carbon transport access to services.
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Environmental concerns extend beyond land and water. Ben Gamble, a light pollution expert and host of the Astro Ben podcast, underscores Glynchbrook’s threat to the rare dark-sky environment at Castlemorton Common — just 2.9 miles from the proposed town. Gamble warns that the combined effect of 3,500 homes, streets, shops, schools, and constant vehicle lighting will create a massive skyglow that washes out the night sky.
“Even with modern LED lighting designed to minimize light spill, the sheer volume of light sources will produce an orange dome of haze stretching for miles,” Gamble said. “The Malvern Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) lighting guidance cautions that once dark skies are lost, they are nearly impossible to restore. This development risks obliterating one of the Midlands’ last remaining prime stargazing locations.”
The ecological consequences of such light pollution are severe. Nocturnal wildlife—including bats, moths, owls, and hedgehogs—depend on natural darkness for hunting, navigation, and reproduction. Artificial lighting disrupts these delicate ecosystems.
Light pollution has recently gained recognition as an official pollutant under the Environment Act and is included in national planning policies. Gamble emphasized that councils must treat it with the same importance as air, noise, and water pollution when allocating sites for construction.
“Overlooking light pollution is not only shortsighted but also legally and ethically indefensible, especially when more environmentally suitable sites exist and better lighting technologies are available,” he said.
Local residents echo these concerns passionately. Linden Partridge, a lifelong Malvern Hills resident from Redmarley, described the dark skies as a “rare and precious commodity” and warned that building thousands of homes at the foot of this natural sanctuary would be “an act of vandalism on the environment.”
“While there is a clear need for new homes, it must not come at the expense of our country’s most treasured green spaces,” she said. “There are other, more sustainable locations. I urge the council to prioritize those.”
Similarly, Alex Girling from Lowbands stressed the unique value of the Malvern Hills both day and night. “It offers breathtaking views, a safe haven from urban life, and at night, a vast expanse of stars and natural sounds. This new town would strip all that away,” he said. “It would no longer be a rural oasis but just another anonymous settlement.”
The Forest of Dean District Council is currently reviewing public feedback from consultations on the local plan, including the Glynchbrook proposal, before making a final decision on whether to proceed with the development.